My House Almost Got Broken Into Last Night

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Well, it was to be expected, seeing as we've never had a front gate and the house next door's been empty for a couple o' months (was recently sold) and undergoing repairs. Probably more than one person involved. They sacked the tool shed, and took a few other things, like a wheelbarrow and a brand new trashbin. Apparently, they tried to break in, but failed in the attempt (probably figured it was too much trouble for one night). My mom was in hysterics, since it was stuff she had mostly bought herself. Agh. I'm more worried right now about the probabilities of them coming back soon to finish the job. We really have no money to implement any kind of half-decent security system. Prospects are looking grim. And maybe I'm over-reacting, but man, what a thing to be put through. For instance, my cousin was almost raped by burglars about a decade ago when she lived through a similar episode. She lost everything, pretty much. She moved, never to come back, but is now scarred for life, along with her two kids, who are now my age. I'm not saying this would happen to me per se, and I know I'm just being a mentalist for discussion's sake, but I think my mom would flip for sure. Seriously.

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Front gates are over-rated.

When we got 'done', we got various 'help' leaflets from the police ,one tip being 'plant prickly bushes underneath your front windows....'

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

This may be a stupid question, but do you have house contents insurance? I would also suggest leaving lights on to give the impression that someone is awake & downstairs.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm reminded of the BBC show where they showed people the tricks burglars use. The number one thing to do is to lock up your ladders - otherwise the burlars will use it to get in your house though the upstairs window. Then they steal the ladder too!

― marianna, Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Ha! They almost stole the ladder also, it happens. But that would have made a bit much noise.

This may be a stupid question, but do you have house contents insurance? I would also suggest leaving lights on to give the impression that someone is awake & downstairs.
-- Pinkpanther (pinkpanther4...), May 25th, 2004.

Aw, man, no such thing as house contents insurance in the commonwealth. It happens too frequently in the second (and two-thirds) world for an ins. company to warrant such intrepid risktaking on their part, ironically enough. We do have a light outside by the front yard, but every time we put on a new bulb, it dies within a few days. Blame the horribly wet and humid weather.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Whereabouts are you?

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:56 (twenty-two years ago)

If you lived in the land of freedom that I live in, you could shoot them.

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:57 (twenty-two years ago)

talking of which, anyone see that story today in the news abotu the guy that saw his car being stolen in his driveway, and shot the burglar dead.

except

it wasnt a burglar. it was his daughter

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:00 (twenty-two years ago)

OMG, that's horrible!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

yes.

but OK if it had been a real burglar?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:02 (twenty-two years ago)

No of course not, maybe just one in the kneecap to slow him down innit?!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

no, not ok if real burglar.

most victims of house crime are shot with own gun

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw one of those programmes recently where an old lag teaches people about house security. He said that most burglaries nowadays are carried out by junkies who are looking to score. He recommended that people leave an amount of cash on the coffee table and the junkies would be so happy to get it without any fuss that they would just take it and leave. I don't know if that's true or not.

What about getting a dog? They make a hell of a lot of noise, if nothing else, and might persuade your burglars to look elsewhere.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

my sympathies francis! My house was broken into a few years back but I wasn't home...I actually interrupted the burglary and they ran out the back but I didn't realize it at the time, only put two and two together when my neighbor found her vcr dropped in her back door (they had hit my house first and then moved on to the other side of the duplex). Was anyone visibly home during the attempted break-in? Unfortunately if someone really wants to break in, they probably will, and short of an expensive alarm system, you can't do much about it. Prickly bushes are a good idea, I also installed motion-detecting lights and will leave a radio tuned to a talk station on when I leave. If it makes you feel better, I was robbed right after I moved in, and I continued to live there for two years with no further problems. I did nail a board over the window in my door that they smashed to get in though.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

If you lived in the land of freedom that I live in, you could shoot them.
-- Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (¡Û¡Ù¢¾♋¡¡Ý¡è¥Ø@JW¢Ü♫), May 25th, 2004.

HAHHHA! I could probably get away with killing them here, actually. Then claim self-defense, and probably get 50 to life for it.

Whereabouts are you?
-- Pinkpanther (pinkpanther4...), May 25th, 2004.

I've mentioned it before in other threads, but yu0 knowz bay-bee, we be liv'n large in S4n Ju4n, Pu3rt0 R1c0.

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude, there's tons of cases where people shoot burglars and nothing happens to them.

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

"Was anyone visibly home during the attempted break-in?"

Hell, gurl, even the cat was home. Not a meow or a sound. This was at night, and we were all deep asleep, which is odd, 'cuz we're all usually light sleepers. I think they had been eyeing the house for a while now. We do the leaving-the-TV-on routine when we go out, but only during the day, for obvious reasons.

"He recommended that people leave an amount of cash on the coffee table and the junkies would be so happy to get it without any fuss that they would just take it and leave. I don't know if that's true or not."

Ha. They'd probably grab the money and everything else with it.

"What about getting a dog?"

Already got a cat, and a fickle one at that. :( Plus she's pregnant! They could have hurt her babies!

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:14 (twenty-two years ago)

"Dude, there's tons of cases where people shoot burglars and nothing happens to them."

Yes, Jon. I am aware of that detail. *pats Jon*[/condescending] I was just being facetious.

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I would have thought leaving money on the table would encourage them in some cases cos they might get greedy!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Since people seem to get all touchy when gun violence is suggested (even though a bullet-ridden burglar's corpse is surely a deterrent to the criminal element) you should just put yr golf bag next to the bed. You'd have a wide variety of tools depending on the severity of the beatdown required.

― adam (adam), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I like yr style, Adam. I was thinking more along the lines of baseball bats. Hard aluminum bats...with spike chains wrapped round 'em.

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 12:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude, there's tons of cases where people shoot burglars and nothing happens to them.

Dude, there's tons of cases where the NYPD shot random dudes on the street and nothing happens to them.

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 13:08 (twenty-two years ago)

where do I sign up

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 25 May 2004 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

SHITCUNTMOTHERFUCKER GAHHHHHHHHHHHKGH*&*^%*$#*^#

So you ask what am I doing awake at this ungodly hour (past 4:30 AM over here)? Well, 'bout an hour ago, the culprit, or one of, anyway, had the gall to come back. And yes, he was dressed all in black, pantyhose in head, glove in hand, just like in the movies. I caught him already leaving the building, with what I thought was a pretty nifty staircase, until I realized it was my dad's that he had just stolen despite us having chained it to a post. So silly me, I start yelling obscenities in Spanish at the ass chimp and he very suavely grabs the ladder by the arm and walks out quietly. It was not like I could've done much in stopping him. All I gots in the way of weapons is my steak knife, and maybe a mic stand. We called 911 and a few mins. later, an undercover cop shows up at the front gate looking like a badass thug. Nothing's happened til' then, 'cept for me being still the only one up and having the cat show me emotional support by scratching herself against my leg.

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 07:55 (twenty-two years ago)

"grabs the ladder by the arm"

and surely I meant 'walks out with ladder in arm'
i'm amazed at my dazed ways

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 07:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh no Fr4ncis, that's awful, I hope you are ok.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 07:59 (twenty-two years ago)

He stole your dad's staircase?

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 08:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Seriously, you need to get a large guard dog.

― penelope_111, Wednesday, 26 May 2004 08:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I swear I was *THIS* close to getting a large rock or boulder, which previously hadn't ocurred to me, and climb on the roof to throw it at the fuck. But then, he did take the ladder!

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 08:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Somewhere in there I forgot to mention today's my last final exam of the semester and that I haven't studied as much as I should have. AGH

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 08:49 (twenty-two years ago)

It's 11:25 right now. I'm on the lookout. I'm done with school, even though I have to hand in an essay tomorrow morning. So no worries in keeping guard 'til late, despite being awake since 3:30 in the AM. But as of this moment, I'm all about revenge. I'm waiting for the asswipe, and I will make him eat my fuck. Well, nothing that drastic. I'll probably just call the cops. I'm skeered shitless. Wish me luck, guys.

― Fr4ncis W4tlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 27 May 2004 02:24 (twenty-two years ago)

ummm...good luck.

― ipsofacto (ipsofacto), Thursday, 27 May 2004 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, best of. I hope this is all over swiftly. Ultimately you might have to move house completely. That's what we had to do when we were done over.

Be careful which lights you leave on when you're out btw. Reading lamps don't fool anyone.

― Pack Yr Romantic Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 27 May 2004 02:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Stand on your roof and pee on him. That'll teach him.

― stephen morris (stephen morris), Thursday, 27 May 2004 02:38 (twenty-two years ago)

tacks under the windows? broken glass on the windowsill? air horns?

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 27 May 2004 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Yea, my dad left some Home Alone-stylee type boobytraps just in case. But nothing really went down. Here's the update: I stayed up for nothing, as I was in a too anxious state to even attempt to think straight and in all I must've slept about an hour. Been making up for lost sleep since. I don't think the guy will come back for a while; he'll lay low if he's not stupid. However, we already got suspects, which is at least something. And we're trying to come up with the money to put up a real fence, and not just some barbed wire that could be cut with shears in the wee hours of the morning. See, the main problem is our new neighbor bought the house next door and had ordered some construction on it before he left on a secret cruise ship vacation he informed no one but his sister of. By chance, she lives further down the street and I've known her for a long ass time (she's my dealer's mom...haha). Here's the thing. Neighbor guy wasn't responsible 'nuff to pick up the scraps and rubble he left behind before making a run for it. So now people in the know, like these very same constr. workers and the bums that hang around know 'bout the house being empty, and therefore know there's a lesser chance of being caught jumping the already crumbling clay fence. I mean, shit. When I was a kid, I jumped that fence ALL the time with no help from ladders, or piles of crap, so that might give you an idea of the kind of (non)feat it involves to go over it.

― Author of thread (Francis Watlington), Friday, 28 May 2004 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

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